A reform plan unveiled recently by the Vice-Minister of Education Lu Xin will divide thenational college entrance examination into academic and vocational paths, with the formerdesignated for academically inclined candidates and the latter for technically inclined ones.
A college-educated workforce is important, but it is not the only pillar of a nationaleconomy, said a commentary in Changjiang Daily on Monday.
In fact, many robust economies have a workforce with a comparatively small share ofcollege degree holders. In Germany, for instance, that figure is 26 percent, and more than58 percent of students choose to pursue vocational or technical education after theygraduate from secondary school.
In China, although millions of high school and college graduates enter the job market everyyear, the nation still suffers from a severe short supply of technical talent. In terms ofcomputer numerical controlled or CNC machine operators alone, China has a gap of600,000, and many companies have a hard time finding the skilled workers they needdespite offering a competitive remuneration package.
Some people are quick to conclude that Chinese students are not keen on seekingvocational or technical education on account of occupational prejudice and the idea thatonly a college degree can lead to career success, but this is not entirely true.
A comprehensive support mechanism still needs to be established to integrate vocationaltraining and employment and protect the rights of technical workers. Meanwhile, Chinahas for years acted as an original equipment manufacturer, but greater efforts are neededto invigorate the manufacturing sector, which as a whole seems less appealing for studentsthan such industries as real estate and finance.
Vocational education in China is also facing multiple challenges. For instance, manyteachers themselves lack hands-on technique experience, and the lack of close tiesbetween schools and companies results in students either being spoon-fed or beingexploited as unpaid laborers.
All these are restraining the growth of the country's technical talent. Reform of the nationalcollege entrance examination alone will not produce the desired result, supportingmeasures are also needed to ensure the country has the skilled workers it needs. （Editor：GaoYinan、Yao Chun） Related reading
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